KICKFLIP PROMISES POTENTIAL AS JYPE’s NEWEST ROOKIES
From Korea to the USA, JYP Entertainment’s newest rookie group KickFlip continues to leave an impact wherever they go. On September 22nd the group released their 3rd EP, “My First Flip,” which encapsulates the emotions involved when falling in love. The success of their comeback had surpassed records from their previous EP “Kick Out, Flip Now!,” including recent wins at Show Champion and Music Bank. Although just rookies, Kickflip has been doing an outstanding job at promoting not only their music but also to their fans, known as “Weflip.”
Source: JYP Entertainment
Kickflip consists of the members Kyehoon, Amaru, Donghwa, Juwang, Minje, Keiju, and Donghyeon. Four of whom were chosen in the survival show LOUD in 2021, featuring JYP and PSY. The show ended with the formation of not only the group Kickflip but also TNX. The rest of the members, who were all trainees under JYP Entertainment, were added after to form a complete group. The announcement of the group’s official debut was globally announced during the beginning section of JYP’s performance during MAMA 2024. Kickflip started strong with their pre-release” Umm Great,” which set excitement for their official debut on January 20th, 2025, with “Mama Said.”
Around 2 months later, one of the biggest music festivals, Lollapalooza, announced its lineup, which included many familiar names in the Korean industry. Some of those names included Boynextdoor, Xdinary Heroes, Wave to Earth, Kickflip, and Twice, who would be making history with headlining for the first time. Kickflip, still being a rookie group, had many questioning JYPE’s decision, many criticizing the decision because they believed another group should have been chosen. While others saw this as an opportunity for the boy group to promote to a larger audience, especially after having won the Rookie Award at the Seoul Music Awards.
Knowing that Kickflip was attending Lollapalooza, I made it my priority to attend the music festival to see them live for the first time. The festival page released the schedule, announcing that Kickflip would be performing on the same stage as Twice hours earlier. The day arrived sooner than expected, and I eagerly anticipated the energy the group would bring to the stage. Kickflip started the stage prior to their scheduled time with a soundcheck, making sure everything was running smoothly and interacting with the crowd. The crowd was small at first, containing only Weflip and dedicated Once ready to see Twice on stage. Kickflip did not disappoint throughout their whole performance; from the moment they began to the moment they ended, the energy was off the roof. Having remixes for dance breaks in their songs, singing songs by Twice, which gained more crowd attention, and continuing to interact with the crowd, asking for participation. By the end of the performance, I looked back at the small crowd from before, only to notice I couldn’t see where the back of the crowd ended. The number of people that were there, no matter who, got to experience what Kickflip had to offer. Later that day I saw many people on social media reacting to or rating their performance, many being intrigued and wanting to know more about the group.
Source: JYP Entertainment
The group, since debuting, has reached large audiences through performing at music festivals, releasing content, and recently JYPE launched Pop-up shops around the USA and Europe. The ultimate prize for anyone attending one of the events was a signed banner or Polaroid with the signatures of all the members. I was fortunate to attend the pop-up in North Carolina hosted by the K-pop store “Oh Seoul Happy.”
From the moment I stepped into the store to the moment I left, everyone was so welcoming and helpful with making everything clear and organized. I was able to obtain all the versions of the new Kickflip album and received all the benefits that came with it. My friends were also able to get albums, and we had fun opening them and decorating our top loaders, which were given with every purchase. Throughout my time there, I was able to acknowledge anyone who approached the event table, knowing the group or becoming intrigued by the event. Overall, from my experience and other social media posts of others hosting, the outcome of the pop-up was successful in making new fans
Kickflip continues to demonstrate their passion and ambition to aim even higher than before. The members have previously been involved with song production through earlier releases, but their recent EP contains the heaviest involvement. The boy group is continuing their journey through their promotions as well as attending more music shows as the end of the year approaches. As the chart numbers continue to rise, there is more anticipation of what Kickflip has in store. I suggest checking out the rookie boy group; you may be captivated by their unique charms and promising future.
Written by Giselle Rojas